We are very thankful

We are very thankful

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

An amazing sunday evening...

This past weekend was amazing and very encouraging. Jimmy has lots more energy from receiving his pacemaker and has been mastering many fine motor activities. He has had an great lift in his personality and his loving heart was shining bright this past Sunday night.

Jimmy and I went up to the activity room to watch a movie. Before putting the movie in we flipped through the channels and happened to come across a worship service. We listened to the pastor, express his love and faith in Jesus and the amazing future that he has in store for our lives. While listening to the sermon, Jimmy reached over and put his arm around my back and pulled me close to him. Worship music came on in between the sermon, Jimmy swayd me back and forth to the music. He wrapped his arm around me tighter and pulled me close for a smooch, before doing so he whispered, "I Love You". It was in that moment that I truly could feel the power of God working in our lives and to feel  power that true love can have.

Its incredible to feel the present of God between you and the one you love. I know that God has an amazing plan for our lives and I can't thank God and everyone enough for their love and support. This moment was incredible for both of us and I wanted to share it with you for inspiration and faith, in knowing that God is always in control and no matter what to have faith in him.

May God bless you this week!

                         "Jimmy would love for you to visit anytime"

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Back at the Courage Center!!

Jimmy was released from Abbot a few weeks ago and is now back at the Courage Center in Golden Valley. He is feeling much better and seems to have lots more energy. The Doctors said that this will hopefully increase his ability to recover faster and be given more strength to undergo more intense therapies.

Physical therapy this week has been wonderful. On Monday, they actually had Jimmy standing up on the parallel bars, with much assistance, but he stood up straight without bending his knees. As he stood, he looked so proud of himself and the therapist were very impressed. The Physical therapists said they would like to start getting Jimmy on a bike machine, having leads hook up to his leg muscles to help with his coordination. They are now using a standing machine (EZ stand) to assist him in getting to and from his chair and bed. Jimmy is able to stand on his own with the machine assisting his upper body and he is able to balance in his bed, in a sitting position for more than a few minutes. The staff at Courage were very impressed with his strength and are looking forward to see him progress even more throughout the next few weeks.

Occupational Therapy has come along way. Jimmy is able to pull, push, throw and catch objects with more coordination. He is able to feed himself almost all meals, using a spoon or fork. They have been using a modified drinking cup to help him with swallowing and he is able to drink from it himself. His fine motor has come along way and enjoys playing many games on his iPad, including pacman, basketball, bowling, air hockey and ant smasher. Jimmy really likes playing the game Connect Four and is really good at picking up the chips and placing them into the game (the games are on the shelf in the family room if you would like to play them when you visit).  Along with his fine motor skills, Jimmy has been able to use the computer lately, using the mouse on his own to click on pictures, videos and Facebook.

The other night, we were dancing to music and Jimmy assisted me in a few spins under his arm, wrapped his arms around me for a slow dance and even wiggled his hips to "Sheri". His speech is still coming along and can be stubborn on talking, but when his buddies are with him, they joke around, laugh and he talks quit a bit. Jimmy sang me "Walking in Memphis" and "This Little Light of Mine" last week.

Jimmy has really enjoyed seeing all his family and friends and the Social Worker and nursing staff at Courage Center have commented how much more of a personality, happiness and encouragement Jimmy has been given because of your visits and faith in him and his recovery. We are blessed beyond belief for everyone that is in our lives and thank you again for all you have done. Please come and visit Jimmy soon, he would be so happy to see you!

God bless you!

(If you would like a prayforjames bracelet, please email or facebook us your address, thank!)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Glory to God!

Abbot Heart Hospital has helped Jimmy in many ways!

The past few days have been outstanding, having the true presents of God working through the nursing staff.  We have been blessed to have some very supportive Nurses and Doctors, believing in Jimmy and his recovery. We have shared many great memories and laughs throughout the past week at Abbot Hospital. On Valentines, we decorated the waiting room with balloons and heart signs; I surprised Jimmy by wheeling him out into the waiting room with all the decorations set up. He was so happy and was smiling from ear to ear; we played some music and danced in his room that night, swaying back and forth in his wheel chair. We were so blessed just to be with each other during Valentine’s Day!


Jimmy has been doing wonderful with PT and OT, working on small standing and balancing techniques, brushing his own hair and washing his hands and face. He sat up in bed for over 1 min balancing his body on his own. The past few nights he has fed himself dinner with very little help and has been trying very hard to push himself in the wheelchair, making strong attempts to push the wheels several times. He has built up so much energy prior to his surgery and we can't wait to see how much he will continue to impress the Doctors after.

The Surgery was a success...
This afternoon, Jimmy had his pacemaker put in around 4pm, the surgery took about 2 hours and the Doctors said it went very well. They are hoping that the pacemaker will help Jimmy's heart become stronger and he will have a better chance to recover faster. There were no complications and Praise God everything went very well. Jimmy was very cute waking up from surgery with his family and friends by his side, we had to tickle him a few times and give him lots of smooches to wake him up. He is a little sore, but the nurse said that it was a very minimal surgery and he should be feeling much better tomorrow. In the morning, the Doctors will check to make sure all the leads on the pacemaker are correctly functioning and to make sure everything is working properly. Jimmy should be back at the Courage Center by Friday night, in hopes to have a great weekend with family and friends!

Thank you for all your prayers, visits and gifts! Jimmy is truly loved by so many people and we can’t thank you enough for all the encouragement and support you have given to him!

God bless and have a great night!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Good Afternoon!!

Happy Valentines Day! What an amazing day to share our love with each other!

Jimmy is in great spirits about receiving a Pacemaker! Thank you so much for all your prayers and visits. Jimmy seems so much happier seeing his friends and family during this time.  This means so much to him, that everyone is behind him and is very supportive.  He has been singing, playing balloon volleyball, laughing at many silly stories and joke. The nurses love making him smile. Jimmy is still receiving some Physical therapy and Occupational Therapy at Abbot. He was able to wash his own hands and put his deodorant on by himself. He continues to feed himself with some assistance and really enjoys slow dancing in his wheel chair.

Jimmy had many test and blood cultures to see if he had anymore infections in his system.  All of the test came back negative and the Doctor said he is doing a lot better. Jimmy agreed in having the pacemaker with the Doctor and they were very excited with his choice. They will be planning on performing the surgery sometime this week. He is currently at Abbot Heart Hospital and will plan to return back at the Courage Center after he is healed from the procedure. Continue to pray for a great recovery and that his recovery progresses even faster after this procedure. 

May God bless you this week!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Prayers contiune for direction and wisdom...

What an adventure.. but God is still shining strong onto a bright future!!

This past Tuesday afternoon, Jimmy was admitted into Abbot Northwest Hospital to help with a few different things with his heart and white blood count. They were worried about possible Heart Failure, but then come to find out he has C-Diff infection in his intestines from a reaction to antibiotics. They said it is very common for patients in long-term care facilities. He is being treated for the C-Diff and they have switched a few of his heart medications to help with the fluttering with his heart rate. They have been debating weather to put in a Pacemaker to help Jimmy's heart contract at a normal rate. As of now he is doing good and seems to be in great spirits about things. He really misses his friends and family and visiting is recommended by the doctor and more social intervcation to help keep him positive about his recovery!

Please contiune to pray for wisdom, knowledge and understanding and for God's healing power to touch Jimmy in a mighty mighty way. The doctors said he has so much more potential and would have a chance to walk again, building up his muscle strength with the Pacemaker.

Thank you for all your wonderful love and support and great things are still to come after this bump in the road! Praise God for our faith and his shoulder to always lean on!!

God bless!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Blessed Beyond Belief

The amazing miracles contiune...

Jimmy wants to thank all of his family and friends for being so supportive and encouraging during his recovery. He is so blessed to have so many people that care for him and his recovery has progressed rapidly because of all your prayers, visits and love you bring to him everyday.

Occupational therapy progresses! Jimmy continues to help staff during his AM routines, shaving, showering and brushing his teeth. He is able to assist them in putting him in bed, by using a standing lift, from his wheel chair to bed and vise versa. One evening as we were eating dinner, Jimmy did not care for his meal, so I walked over to the cafeteria area to grab him a sandwich. Before I left the table I put the spoon in his hand and his bowl of peaches in front of him. As I looked back at the table to see how he was doing, he started to feed himself his peaches, using his spoon in a scooping motion and repeating it 3-4 times without assistance. He looked so proud of himself holding that spoon with a big smile as I walked back to the table.

Physical Therapy, getting stronger and stronger. Jimmy really enjoys dancing now. He is able to move his upper body more on his own, and is able to balance himself sitting in his wheelchair with out the table tray or arm rests. The evening of the Super Bowl, Jimmy was raising his arms up and down cheering on the Giants and fist pumping with his friend Brad. He has been lifting his legs more and able to scoot his whole body over in bed to assist nursing staff with small tasks. He still continues with the standing board during PT therapy and is currently at 80 degrees for 20 mins with two sitting breaks (90 standing straight up).

Speech Therapy, talking and singing. This past week Jimmy has really gotten his voice back, clearer and loader. Last weekend he sang, "Sweet Caroline, Sheri, Beachboys and Walking in Memphis". He enjoys singing Karaoke in the computer room with YouTube putting the lyrics on the computer screen and holding a spoon for the microphone, smiling from ear to ear while singing. He is able to communicate more with short sentences and is able to read jokes and short paragraphs.

There is no medical understanding as to why miracles happen, but as we all now know, Miracles DO Happen! We can't thank God enough everyday for the gift of life and the amazing future that we all have in store. I know in my heart Jimmy will walk someday, play basketball and become teacher of the year. Remember if we believe in the things God have placed on our hearts, they will come true.

LET YOUR FAITH BE BIGGER THAN YOUR FEARS!!

May God bless you!